SHARON JONES IS GOING TO BE PLAYING IN PITTSBURGH ON JAN. 23RD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings!!!!!!!!! I heard for the first time when cnn.com featured them on a review of music and instantly fell in love with them!!!!!!  Cool soul music with a retro vibe that’s delicious!  I’m ssssssoooo excited I could scream.  I am originally from around the area of Pittsburgh and my Sister works in the city; imagine my surprise when she texted me about the band coming to play!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.  I’m forcing  my Sister to go with her big brother to see them…it’s a Brother and Sister Night Out on the town!  I can’t wait for Jan. 23rd :):):):)

Above is one of my fav songs that I’m praying she will play…but let me be frank I LOVE ALL HER SONGS!  If you come you might just get to see Sammy try and get on stage to dance with her!  She usually picks a couple of guys to get on stage with her and you bet  your sweet as that I want to be one of them!

A year ago tonight, we were rather funked up. On a cold Wisconsin night, we saw Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings scorching the stage at the Barrymore Theatre in our old neighborhood in Madison.

The next night, we put three funked-up tunes under the tree. It turned out to be the most popular thing we did in last year’s series. It went like this:

Three years ago, funk legend Bootsy Collins released a Christmas record that clearly bears his stamp, yet one that has surprisingly tender moments. It’s a remarkable re-imagining of some familiar songs, a mash that’ll be familiar to Christmas music fans and to P-Funk fans.

This earnestly spoken sample is the first thing you hear on the record:

“I’m sure there’s going to be more than one unpleasant surprise before we’re done.”

You can just imagine Bootsy standing there, his bass ready to go, with a wide smile on his face as he dives in. That said, why don’t we dive in?

“Merry Christmas Baby” — Definitely not Charles Brown’s version. It’s funked up, as you would imagine. Yeah, that’s Bootsy on the guitars and the Space Bass. The Nasty Natti Horns pump out a big backing track and there’s some fine Hammond organ by Morris Mingo.

“Jingle Belz (AKA Jingle Bells)” — You’ve heard this a million times. You’ve never heard it like this. The spoken lead-in — kids being asked “whattaya want for Christmas?” — and Boot-A-Claus’ laid-back vocals set the tone for this romp, which mashes elements of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and“Joy to the World” in the last minute. Fred Wesley’s trombone is the backbone for the whole thing.

“Silent Night” — Backed by some elegant keyboards, Bootsy shares a warm, real memory of Christmas as a child in the first 1:30. Then it gives way to “Silent Night” as a slow funk jam with some sizzling vocals by Candis Cheatham. The pace picks up between verses, with more spirited jamming. You’ve never heard this like this, either.

All from “Christmas Is 4 Ever,” Bootsy Collins, 2006. (I thought about changing out the songs from last year, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.)

In “Silent Night,” Bootsy remembers growing up in Cincinnati as a boy who loved Christmas, then fell in with “the wrong crowd,” which teased him:

“‘Aw, they ain’t no Santa.’ Then they took it a step further and said ‘Well, how is he gonna get in your house, and you livin’ in the ghetto with no fireplace? What kinda chimney is he gonna come down?’ I said, ‘Hmmmm.’ (Must be comin’ through the window.)”

Sharon Jones grew up in Brooklyn, wondering the same thing. On her charming new Christmas soul single, she asks just how Santa put her toys under the tree when there …

Those of us on Daptone’s mailing list got the tune today as a little gift. Give it a listen, then go get your own.

Last Saturday, Kristen and I were talking about the music history workshops we taught with some bad-ass GRCA alums for the Girls Now! conference. As you can imagine, it’s hard to pare down nearly a century’s worth of female contributions to popular music into a 75-minute PowerPoint presentation and have it be fun and interactive as well. Thus, we made sure to include many music videos and performance clips that hopefully engaged our girl attendees. One such clip was Christina Aguilera’s Grammy performance of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” apparently beloved by Patti Smith. Afterwards, Kristen mentioned that it was possible to do an entire section on cover songs and wished we had more time to highlight and discuss more interesting examples.

Too right, Kristen. In fact, I think I started this section of the blog to cull together noteworthy cover songs, as I think covers are fascinating. What does song selection and interpretation say about the artist? How do their personae, generic alignments, and identity markers give the source material new meaning? What does it mean for Solange Knowles — aka Ms. “Fuck the Industry (Signed Sincerely)” — to cover an indie rock song like Dirty Projectors’ “Stillness Is The Move,” which was originally inspired by Wim Wenders’s Wings of Desire and includes a sample of “Bumpy’s Lament” in her version? What does it mean for Cat Power to adopt the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” as a signature song and create several arrangements of it ranging from stripped-down folk to soulful rave-up? How does Tori Amos blow apart Eminem’s misogynistic murder fantasy in ”‘97 Bonnie and Clyde” by orienting herself as the dead wife in the trunk? 

Tori Amos as Bonnie; image courtesy of hereinmyhead.com

(Note: For further insight into the last song mentioned, I recommend reading Lori Burns and Alyssa Woods’s “Authenticity, Appropriation, Signification: Tori Amos on Gender, Race, and Violence in Covers of Billie Holiday and Eminem.” Also, I might need to get around to unpacking the cover art for Amos’s Strange Little Girls at some point.)

Continuing why I hope to be an on-going discussion, tonight I selected two songs originally recorded by James Brown and Sam Cooke. ”It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” has always seemed to me to be an ode to chauvinism. ”A Change Is Gonna Come,” however, is an anthem for social change that came to define the Civil Rights Movement. But think about what additional meanings these songs may have when performed by Christina Aguilera and Sharon Jones.  

Les changements d’habitudes proposent quelquefois de bonnes surprises. Prenant les transports en commun depuis peu, je peux allègrement écouter dix fois plus de musique qu’auparavant.

Sur ce constat, je tenterais de vous proposer ma sélection musicale chaque mois et j’essayerais d’exprimer quelques critiques sur chaque album ou compilation égrainés au fil du temps.

Voici donc la playlist d’octobre 2009 :

Cliquez sur les cover pour accéder aux différentes écoutes

Récapitulons :

7 Albums

2 OST :

1 compilation :

Si vous avez aimé ou pas certains de ces albums, exposez et faites partager vos différentes critiques , émotions, envies ou autres découvertes durant ce mois.

prochain billet : “Zero 7 : i’m not affraid”

Is Bored to Death (starring Jason Schwartzman, pictured above) the next HBO show in line that becomes that show people who “don’t watch tv” actually get into (The Wire, The Sopranos, etc.)?  Not sure.  But knowing that Jonathan Ames is the writer can give one hope.  He talks to Huffington Post.

• Indichik went to our Vol. 1 Storytelling Brooklyn series this last Thursday, and said some very nice things.

Lit.

• Kevin Sampsell interviews Stephen Elliott for the Portland Mercury

• 2666, Lowboy by John Wray, and Julia Wertz all make appearances in Heeb’s best books of 5769

• Why Maud Newton became a fan of Jeff Dyer

• Oprah picks the next book that will sell a bazillion copies due to her magic touch (Thanks Jacket Copy)

• ” The Da Vinci Code, chapter 3: My French stinks, Langdon thought, but my zodiac iconography is pretty good.” one of twenty of Dan Brown’s worst sentences.

• Camus, A Romance is reviewed

Music

• Regina Spektor is writing an update of Sleeping Beauty for Broadway

• Beck + Devendra Banhart + Todd Solondz =’s awesome

• Thurston Moore, documenting Grunge

• Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings are gonna be on Dinner With the Band (Thanks Brooklyn Vegan)

Radio

• “I go pee over and over. When I get nervous I have to pee.” – Jesse Thorn of The Sound of Young America.

Sports

• NPR on Polynesian football players

• Jesus is the Derek Jeter of Christianity (Thanks The Rumpus, Via Dead Spin)

This is how we do.

Birthday weekend, full steam ahead! And you know what that means. The highlights on the agenda for my weekend include copious amounts of Jack Daniels, giggles, and not posting on my blog even more.

However, it’s not as if I haven’t been busy or exercising my writerly muscles. I’ve been working out at another location, so to speak. In case you miss me and my musical rants, I can also be found here as part of the Portland Examiner Arts and Entertainment team. The gig allows its writers a lot of freedom, at least as far as content and voice. Hopefully, this avenue of exposure will continue to be a fun and personal way to report on all the fantastic artists in and around Portland.

But as far as TS&tN’s humble page-front, as an early birthday present to myself, I’m borrowing from a Facebook note concept. The object of the FB challenge is to list, off the top of your head, fifty musicians you’ve seen live. I got to some number in the 20 to 30 range before I had to start consulting my ephemera collection of ticket stubs, journal entries, posters, emails, and other websites to jog my memory. But it’s a fun activity. You get to recall specific points in your life, places you’ve visited, people you’ve seen, and of course, all the songs that kept you afloat each time. In honor of my 29th year of life on this planet, here are 29 performers I’ve seen live and the venues that granted me the opportunities. I can only aspire to triple this number or more in another 29 years’ time. By the way, if any generous reader wishes to send me a gift, my friends got me started on the tradition of birthday Jack D. Just a thought.

1) They Might Be Giants at venues in Honolulu, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco. I still love John and John like they’re both the only bees in my bonnet.

2) Reel Big Fish at the Bellows Air Force Station (if you live in Hawaii long enough, you will watch concerts on military grounds).

3) Hepcat in Santa Cruz. First concert of college. I can’t even remember the name of the venue, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist anymore.

4) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at the Catalyst Nightclub. I interviewed one of the horn players for my college newspaper. Sadly, I can’t remember his name either. You’ll notice that a lot for anything during the time I was in college.

5) Moxy Fruvous in Santa Cruz. First concert I attended alone and really enjoyed.

6) Switchblade Symphony at the old goth club in Honolulu. I found out today that one of the band’s drummers went on to join the Blue Man Group.

7) Death Cab for Cutie at the Great American Music Hall.

8 ) Cat Power at Bottom of the Hill.

9) Frank Black, first at the Catalyst and then at the Independent.

10) Stratford 4 at the Independent. They were opening for another band, some group that rode the wave of “The Insert a Noun Here” bands during the early aughts, but Punchy and I went for Stratford 4. Burned out way ahead of their time.

11) Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at the Great American Music Hall.

12) Clinic at Bimbo’s 365 Club.

14) Low Flying Owls at the Hemlock Tavern.

15) Built to Spill at Slim’s. Found out that Built to Spill was playing there mere hours before the show. A very kind bouncer sold us tickets. The band was amazing.

16) Decemberists at the Fillmore.

17) Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Warfield.

18) Spoon, in a free performance at Amoeba Records.

19) Digital Underground at Red Devil Lounge, complete with Humpty. For real.

20) Von Iva at the Rickshaw Stop.

21) The Botticellis at Cafe Du Nord.

22) Pixies at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. The best big concert I’ve ever seen. My flask helped.

23) Ziggy Marley at the Crystal Ballroom. This was my first concert in Portland.

24) Tori Amos at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. I’d wanted to see her for so long, and to have finally done so at such a handsome place was extra special.

25) The Swell Season at the Keller Auditorium. Absolutely searing in its beauty, but that was largely thanks to the band.

26) Queens of the Stone Age at the Roseland.

27) Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings at the Oregon Zoo. Don’t let anyone snub you into believing that zoo concerts can’t be awesome.

28) 31 Knots at the Doug Fir.

29) Battles at the Wonder Ballroom, my inaugural foray into Music Fest NW.

Plus, one for good luck: 30) Asylum Street Spankers at Music Millennium.

• Andrew Bird ~ Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs ~ Righteous Babe

The Happy Birthday Song

• Les Claypool ~ Of Fungi and Foe ~ Prawn Song

Primed By 29

“Sharon Jones possui uma voz potente, de alcance profundo, que utiliza para buscar uma certa pureza perdida da soul music. Hoje, aos 51 anos, finalmente ela se tornou um nome conhecido…”

“Sharon Jones nasceu em maio de 1956, na Geórgia (EUA). Mudou-se para Nova York ainda criança e começou a cantar em corais de igreja. Na adolescência, foi backing vocal de bandas de funk e disco. Desde aquela época, já era fanática por soul music. “Eu cresci ouvindo tudo de soul music: Motown, Stax, James Brown… Quando me perguntam como faço minha música hoje, respondo: “É porque eu cresci no meio disso”.”

Nos anos 70, emprestou a voz a diversos artistas e bandas, mas não conseguiu contrato para um disco próprio. “Ninguém me aceitava na indústria da música. Diziam que eu era muito negra, que eu era muito gorda… Diziam que eu era muito nova, que não era bonita o suficiente”, relembra. “Aos 25 anos, me disseram que eu estava velha… Então fui fazer outras coisas.” Entre essas coisas, estão dois anos como carcereira na penitenciária de Ryker’s Island, em Nova York, e um período como segurança de carro-forte do Wells Fargo Bank, também em Nova York.

“Quando tinha 30 anos, fiz um teste na polícia. Mas disseram que eu estava velha… Então arrumei um emprego na prisão. Foi uma grande experiência, fiquei lá por dois anos. Depois fui segurança em carro-forte. Trabalhava armada, colocando dinheiro em caixas eletrônicos. Só depois encontrei os caras da Desco.”

Sharon Jones foi entregue a mão dos produtores e virou sucesso depois que quem ouviu seu disco????  Amy Winehouse!

Agradeço então a Wino por ter feito isso chegar aos meus ouvidos. Porque eu a acho incrível!

As the first decade of the twentieth century nears its end, a number of discerningly gifted young musicians find themselves held in sway by a sound once coaxed out of the back door of sanctified southern churches and pulled kicking and screaming into the national limelight some 40 years ago. Soul music, a term coined in the mid-60’s to describe a style of emotionally raw, southern-fried, groove-based music, is once again asserting its timeless influence in the charts and on the albums of some of the most critically acclaimed acts in the business.

Pioneered by a young Ray Charles in the 50’s and perfected by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave and others in the following decade, soul music in its earliest form was basically a secularized offshoot of the gospel hymns familiar to any church going African American of the time. In fact, many of the earliest soul music practitioners, such as Sam Cooke, began their careers as successful gospel performers. These artists quickly discovered that a few lyrical changes, switching “my God” to “my girl” for instance, and the addition of a skilled R&B drummer not only increased their earning potential but also opened up an entirely new world of creative possibilities.

Though performers such as Cooke and Ray Charles were openly criticized for their decisions to take gospel in a secular pop direction, by the mid-60’s a handful of small, independently owned studios across Alabama and Memphis had begun turning out music of staggering emotional power that combined the force of gospel with country harmonies and a swampy, guttural rock-based groove. Combined with the more refined approach of the music coming from Detroit’s Motown label, this music essentially owned the upper echelon of the charts throughout the 60’s.

While 70’s acts such as Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, and Ann Peebles managed to carry the soul banner throughout that decade, the 80’s and 90’s proved lean times indeed, as the rise of glossy, synth-based rhythms and pulverizing rock left little room for heartfelt sermonizing.

By the turn of the century however, the world’s musical psyche seemed to heave a collective sigh as both fans and musicians, grown weary of the synthetic drivel cluttering popular culture, discovered once again the earthy, raw-boned passion of a music that never truly faded from memory.

As I write this column, soul-influenced artists as diverse as Grammy winners  Amy Winehouse and Alicia Keys, gritty southern-noir rockers Drive-by Truckers, battle-scarred  veteran Bettye LaVette and retro-chic hipsters Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are all either sitting comfortably on the charts or receiving rave critical reviews and drawing sell out crowds. Even critic darlings Radiohead, one of the most self consciously “modern” bands working today, has fallen under the music’s spell on their latest album, “In Rainbows,” pouring forth a symphony of pleading, space/soul rock that conjures the ghost of Otis Redding while harmonized vocals rise and ebb like a choir shouting from the basement of a storefront church at midnight.

These artists continue to make stubbornly individual, terrifyingly human music in the face of every trend to the contrary. Thanks to the CD reissue revolution, somewhere on the planet at this very instant an aspiring musician is hearing the artistry of Aretha, or Otis, or Brother Ray for the very first time. Though the production values and sound quality of these recordings stamp them as mementos of their specific time, the emotion buried deep within this music’s DNA is simply eternal. As long as musicians are willing to lay themselves on the altar and expose the very essence of their fears, desires and passions, music that speaks to the human condition in a creative way—true “music of the soul” — will never die.

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

- Aug. 4. (Tues.) Chuck Berghofer’s Midnight Jazz Band. Whenever bassist Berghofer steps into the leader’s role, you can count on the fact that he’ll be surrounded by world class players. And the Midnight band is no exception, with Gary Foster on alto sax, Tom Ranier on piano and Joe La Barbera on drums. Charlie O’s. 994-3068.

- Aug. 4. (Tues.) Jean Shy. Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Pop, Rock — Jean Shy does it all, investing every note she sings with her own inimitable sense of soul. Bar Melody. (310) 670-1994.

Gil Evans and Miles Davis

- Aug. 5. (Wed.) “Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Still Ahead.” Trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Nicholas Payton take on the difficult task of playing the Miles Davis roles in the now classic orchestrations created by Gil Evans for the recordings Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain and Miles Ahead. The all-star cast also includes drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Peter Erskine and saxophonist/tubaist Howard Johnson. Vince Mendoza conducts and Miles Evans (Gil Evan’s son) is the music director. The Hollywood Bowl. (310) 850-2000.

- Aug. 5. (Wed.) Frank Potenza. Guitarist, educator (at USC) and protege of Joe Pass, Potenza takes an evening away from the classroom to display his briskly swinging style in an organ trio setting with B-3 master Joe Bagg and drummer Ryan Doyle. They’ll be playing selections from the album Old, New, Borrowed & Blue. Steamers. (714) 871-8800.

- Aug. 5. (Wed.) John Proulx. Pianist/singer performs selections from his new CD, Baker’s Dozen: Remembering Chet Baker. Featuring trumpeter Ron Stout, bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Joe LaBarbera. Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210.

- Aug. 6. (Thurs.) David Sanborn. Alto saxophonist Sanborn — whose sound and style impacted a generation of young saxophonists — makes a rare local club appearance in the Los Angeles suburb of Agoura Hills. Canyon Club. (805) 583-6700.

Estaire Godinez

- Aug. 6. (Thurs.) Estaire Godinez. She plays wildly diverse percussion, she’s a passionate singer, and she brings dynamic electricity to every song she touches. All of which should make for an exciting night in Bel Air. Vibrato. (310) 474-9400

- Aug. 6. (Thurs.)) Wild Magnolias. Mardi Gras in August. The Magnolias combine roots New Orleans music with wildly colorful, on-stage flamboyance. The Skirball Center, (310) 440-4500

- August 7. (Fri..) Lyle Lovett and Madeleine Peyroux. The perfect match of a pair of popular music’s most idiosyncratic performers. Impossible to lock into any single genre, Lovett and Peyroux always offer compelling performances. The Greek Theatre. (Also at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sun. Aug. 9.)

Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang

- Aug. 7 & 8. (Fri. & Sat.) Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang with the L.A. Philharmonic. Two titans of the contemporary piano world display their very different musical orientations. Let’s hope there’s an opportunity for them to jam together (if they can agree on what to play). The Hollywood Bowl. (323) 850-2000.

- Aug. 7 – 9. (Fri. – Sun.) 22nd Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival. Funk, fusion, crossover and jazz pop in the spotlight with Patti Austin, Norman Brown, David Sanborn, Ledisi, Les McCann, Hiroshima, Ramsey Lewis, Paul Brown, Marc Antoine and numerous others. The Long Beach Jazz Festival. Lagoon Park. http://www.longbeachjazzfestival.com. (562) 424-0013.

Tanya Tagaq

- Aug. 8. (Sat.) Tanya Tagaq. Tagaq, who has worked frequently with Bjork, is a Canadian Inuit who specializes in the difficult, but always fascinating to hear, throat-singing style. Based in Inuit traditions, she has transformed the style into a strikingly contemporary expression. Solo a cappella artist Hyperpotamus opens the bill. Grand Performances. (213) 687-2190

- Aug. 9. (Sun.) Chris Walden celebrates the 10th anniversary of his Big Band. Special guests include Carol Welsman, Tierney Sutton, Courtney Fortune and Christopher Cross. With possible Surprise guest appearances by Michael Bolton and David Foster. 8 p.m. Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-22110.

- Aug. 9. (Sun.) The Lanny Morgan 6. Alto saxophonist Morgan leads his contemporary bebop band of trumpeter Bob Summers, tenor saxophonist Doug Webb, pianist Tom Ranier, bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Steve Schaeffer. The Lighthouse Café. (310) 376-9833.

- Aug. 9. (Sun.) “A Tale of Two Princes: Prince William “Buddy” Colette and Prince Charles Mingus.” The music of both composers will be performed, and guest artists will sit in to honor Buddy Colette’s 88th birthday. 11 a.m. brunch. Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210.

San Francisco

- Aug. 3. (Mon.) Elin, Rising jazz star Elin has been drawing rave reviews from New York and Miami to Peru and the Canary Islands. Born in Sweden to Peruvian and Irish parents, her comfortable multi-culturalism brings a rich colorful diversity to her music. Brazilian vocalist. Opening for her — San Diego’s talented young vocalist Sacha Boutros. Yoshi’s Oakland. (510) 238-9200

Charlie Haden

- Aug. 7 – 9. (Fri. – Sun.) Charlie Haden leads his Quartet West in a celebation of his 72nd birthday weekend. With pianist Alan Broadbent, tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts and drummer Rodney Green. Yoshi’s San Francisco. (415) 655-5600.

San Jose

- Aug. 7 – 9. (Fri. – Sun.) The San Jose Jazz Festival. Featuring Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Wild Magnolias, Denise Donatelli, Pete Escovedo, Bill Henderson, Allen Toussaint, Winard Harper, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lionel Loueke and dozens of others. All in all, there will be over a hundred concerts on nine stages throughout the three days of the Festival. With prices as low as $15 a day ($10 on Friday). with children 12 and under free, it is surely one of the best musical bargains of the summer, anywhere. San Jose Jazz Festival. (408) 288-7557.

New York

Tessa Souter

- Aug. 3. (Mon.) Tessa Souter. One of the few exceptional standouts in the crowded field of female jazz singers, Souter performs material from her about-to-be-released CD, Obsession. Her live performances are far too rare, so don’t miss this one. The Blue Note. (212) 475-8592

- Aug. 4 – 6. (Tues. – Thurs.) Greg Osby, Playboy magazine’s “Jazz Artist of the Year,” leads his sextet — vocalist Sara Serpa, guitarist Nil Felder, pianist Frank LoCrasto, bassist Matt Brewer and drummer John Davis – in selections from the album, 9 Levels. The Village Vanguard. (212) 255-4037.

- Aug. 6 – 9. (Thurs. – Sun.) Ernestine Anderson Quartet. At 80-something, Anderson brings a lifetime of atmospheric insight to each phrase, making her performances into virtual master classes in the art of jazz singing. She’s backed by tenor saxophonist Houston Person, whose 30 plus years with Etta Jones taught him something about jazz singing, as well. Jazz Standard. (212) 576-2252.

Boston

Claudia Acuna

- Aug. 7. (Fri.) Claudia Acuna discovered jazz in her native Chile and — even though her last CD, En Este Momento, featured Spanish language songs — her jazz skills continue to grow, enhanced by the velvet sound of her voice. the rhythmic lift of her phrasing, and an unerring way with a lyric. RegattaBar. Cambridge. (617) 395-7757.

- Aug. 7. (Fri.) Leny Andrade. The always-swinging Brazilian jazz/bossa nova singer performs with the Cesar Camargo Mariano/Romero Lubambo guitar duo. Sculler’s. (617) 562-4111

Washington, D.C.

- Aug. 6 – 9. (Thurs,. – Sun.) Freddy Cole. There’s a trace of the same Cole family vocal timbre in his voice that was present in his brother Nat Cole. But Freddy is very much his own man, singing with the interpretive qualities of a jazz master. Blues Alley. (202)337-4141

London

Judy Carmichael

- Aug. 3 – 15. (Mon. – Sat.) (except for the 9th.) Judy Carmichael will be adding vocals to her versatile piano stylings in a performance celebrating her new CD, Come and Get It. The Boisdale of Belgravia. London.

Think of this post as an extension of this one. Only it’s different, because this is a new group of girls with upbringings, influences, opinions, and dispositions.

1. Let girls talk, even if they might potentially be disruptive. They might just want you to pay attention to them. Rather than tell them to be quiet and fret that they aren’t listening, try and engage them and talk to them. This might make them listen, especially to their own words and those of their peers. You, the instructor, may learn something as well by asking a girl to share with the group what she’s telling a friend in the corner and having that girl drop some science on the class.

2. Make sure to intervene when a girl says “you’ve never heard of _______?” to another girl. Try and spin it like, “well, not everyone can hear everybody.” Be honest about the things you didn’t know and learned from your friend Kristen when you put this workshop together. Condoning that behavior may make loud girls quiet and quiet girls unable to participate. Correcting that behavior gently may help them all to listen and share.

3. Don’t forget how important Selena continues to be for many girls.

4. Don’t take credit for putting Selena in the PowerPoint (good contribution, Kristen).

5. Allow yourself to get really amped when girls yell out names at images of bands and musicians they recognize and love.

6. Let yourself dance with the younger girls when they do the wave during the Gossip/Sharon Jones mini-dance party at the end of the workshop.

7. Remember how exciting it is when a girl tells you she learned about a musician from her mom.

8. Be kind and respectful when some girls let you see their band perform during rehearsal (thanks, ladies from Chucky’s Unknown Children).

9. Some girls might read your blog. Be humble and grateful when they tell you this and remember them as you try and make this space more inclusive.

10. Not all girls like the same things from session to session. Overall, these girls had little use for Björk or riot grrrl. However, they did seem to like The Runaways, Erykah Badu, and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

11. Always highlight female musicians who play unconventional instruments. Don’t make a distinction between cool and uncool instruments. After all, X-Ray Spex’s Lora Logic played the saxophone.

12. Remember all the bands and artists you didn’t include that the girls mentioned in case you get to give this workshop next time.

13. Always make extra copies of the mix CD in case girls want to give a copy to a sibling/cousin/friend.

Today, July 27, 2009 marks the 25th Anniversary of the movie Purple Rain. I can’t let this pass without recognizing the occasion and the album’s significance, not only in my life, but also in music history. This could be a great opportunity to write about the many women who have worked with Prince (Sheila E., Sheena Easton) or those who have made his songs famous (Stevie Nicks, Sinead O’Connor). Instead, I’m celebrating by listening to a cover tune by one of my favorite SWIKs, Sharon Jones. Spin magazine’s free tribute download, Purplish Rain, includes some interesting covers of every song from this classic soundtrack. The standout is “Take Me With You” by Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings.

My love affair with Prince’s music began with his double album 1999, introduced to me by my 8th grade boyfriend. (Since then I seem to have dated a lot of men who are into Prince’s music, even the goth guys.) I didn’t see Purple Rain in the theater when it came out in 1984. The movie was rated R and I was not 18. I was a good Catholic girl at the time, albeit one with Prince albums. I listened to the soundtrack all summer on my first Sony Walkman. In the fall, I went to see Prince in concert. I’ve seen a lot of concerts over the past 25 years, but Prince was so incredible that nothing has really compared. This may be due to the fact that I have yet to see Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings live.

Sharon and The Daps used to play regularly at Southpaw, a local club around the corner from my apartment in Brooklyn. I attempted to see them several times, but never made it to a show. Once, I asked a guy I was dating if he wanted to see them. He wasn’t interested. Needless to say that relationship didn’t last. Now, they are touring the world and playing much larger venues. They’ve even performed on Letterman. The last time they were in NYC they played the 2100-seat Nokia Theater. Unfortunately, I was out of town. Now, I’m patiently waiting for Sharon and The Daps to finish their world tour and come home to Brooklyn.

At Frank's Lounge 2003 Photo by Dulce Pinzon

Her band, The Dap Kings are phenomenal. They were the session musicians for most of the songs on Amy Winehouse’s hit album Back to Black. While Winehouse certainly has some soul of her own, something different happens when The Dap Kings record with Sharon Jones. There is an energy and electricity to the music that just oozes through all of their songs, even the slow ones. They have three albums. I suggest Naturally and 100 Days 100 Nights. Songs like “How Long Do I Have To Wait for You?” and “This Land is Your Land” will keep you groovin’ through pretty much anything. While “You’re Gonna Get It” is a slower, soulful tune. Their remake of “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In),” originally recorded by Kenny Rogers, sounds as though it should have always been a soul tune sung by a woman.

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings record on a small independent label called Daptone Records. I mention this for a few reasons. First, you can still buy their music on actual vinyl records, which if you happen to have a record player lying around is pretty cool. They even release singles on 45’s. (If you don’t know what a 45 is, then you may be too young to read this blog.) In addition, Daptone is musician-owned and run, which is unusual in the music industry.

As for Prince. He has left behind the major record labels as well and puts out his own albums. The music is still amazing, but his lyrics have changed significantly. He’s now a Jehovah’s Witness. (Can you imagine if he showed up at your door to proselytize?) Prince doesn’t tour much, but apparently he performs live every Friday and Saturday at his club in Las Vegas. So as I pack my bags for a three day wedding extravaganza in Connecticut next weekend, I consider that being whisked away to Vegas for drive-thru vows and $300 Prince tickets could be great. Why have none of my friends done this? Of course, a reception at Southpaw with Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings wouldn’t be too bad. Either way, everyone would be dancing all night to some very funky soul music.

I’ll keep you posted.

Listen to music
Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings
SWIK Prince Songs

See music
Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings: 100 Days 100 Nights
Prince: Take Me With You (Live) or 1999
Amy Winehouse: Rehab

Buy music
Prince: Purple Rain
Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings: Naturally, 100 Days 100 Nights
Purplish Rain download from Spin magazine. (You need to answer a question for the free download. The answer is keyboardist.)

well, after taking most of this week to recover from the mayhem that is GrassRoots I am officially back in action. as promised, I’m updating you on all the behind-the-scenes tunes, talk, and (a bit) tipsy tirades I experienced while hanging out with many bands, friends, and fellow campers.

since it was my first time camping EVER (yes, I’m from upstate NY and have never been camping…let the heckling begin) my girl friends and I decided that canteens were a must. see above. and below is proof of my spider-killing-wet-tent experience.

our first stop at the festival was to see our beloved Horse Flies. thanks to my favorite band members and founders Jeff Claus (guitar, banjo uke, vocals), Judy Hyman (violin, vocals) and Richie Stearns (banjo, vocals) we swayed to songs that will stay in your head for days – in the greatest way possible. As Rolling Stone so eloquently put it: The Horse Flies churn out swirling, addictive songs, blending tradition with invention.

next stop: Rusted Root. the band that came fast and hard in the 90s only to fade into the black for the past seven years is slated to make their comeback with the recent release of their new album, Stereo Rodeo. I couldn’t decide whether it was cooler to stay behind-the-scenes to watch them enter the stage to the hoots and cheers from the youthful GrassRoots crowd. OR. if I wanted to be a part of the mass dancing and mouthing each and every word from “Send Me On My Way.” I went for the latter and was very happy about it.

feeling revved and in the spirit, we left the infield stage and ventured over to the grandstand to check out Grammy winners Toots And The Maytals. for the record: this man absolutely killed it. best reggae I’ve heard in a long time. I was immediately transported from the chilly, sprinkly night in Trumansburg to a steamy, hot beach in Jamaica. and after watching his two back-up dancers quietly shake their groove thang backstage, I couldn’t stop moving my hips to the liquid rhythm.

day two was a messy one. clouds incessantly threatened our good time with gray and gloom while periodic showers washed the mud over our bare toes drenching our hoodies. but we kept it movin’ straight to the dance tent to hear the gospel energy from the soul searching Flying Clouds. I get goosebumps just thinking about their crooning vocals and killer drummer.

religious or not, you can’t help but get into the American South spirit for the Big Dance.

from gospel harmonizing to head-banging, we journeyed from the dance tent back down to the infield stage – a walk that felt like forever in muddy goulashes – to jam with Ayurveda. while the band’s name means to live a holistic existence by surrounding oneself with spiritual influences, they’re certainly louder than any granola-crunching drum circle. the thump of the bass beats in time with your tapping foot and damn-the-man blazing lyrics.

now here comes my all-time favorite GrassRoots band. the Campbell Brothers know how to move Heaven and Earth with just their fingers. this music seeps into the crevices of your very soul, soothingly reminding you to just shut up and dance.

here comes the First Lady of Funk. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings held the festival in the palm of their hands. well, in the palm of Sharon’s hand. rockin’ a black tiered flapper dress that bounced and shook with every grind of her hip, Sharon not only serenaded the luckiest guy in the world (I beamed with jealousy), but she took down the house. literally. not one body stood still. captivating to say the least, she brought the old school home. and for that we’re forever grateful.

time to get back to your roots. as you already know I’m a big J-san & the Analogue Sons (JATAS) fan. not only because they’re great friends, but because they bring you back to your roots the moment they plug in. one love.

last stop of day #2: John Brown’s Body. thoughtful, wise, and mystical with an edge. someone called them “the future of reggae.” if this is any indication as to what our “Yes We Can!” future sounds like then I’m all in.

Day 3 (and my last day) at the festival was not as packed as the two days prior. by the third day your body is surrending to sleep and everyone’s energy goes down a bit from partying and stage hopping for two straight days before. but it was relaxing to cruise around the festival armed with cheese fries and a PBR to witness a few of my favorites. the usual suspects, local Ithaca acts, and fresh faces were there: The Horse Flies, JATAS, Jennie Lowe Stearns, Campbell Brothers, Oumou Sangare, Flying Clouds, Evil City String Band, and Donna the Buffalo. but then there was the two-time Grammy nominated Pine Leaf Boys. or as my girl friends like to call them the “Pine Leaf Babes” for their Cajun style and fine exterior. you’re welcome!

needless to say, I had a blast. my senses were in overdrive thanks to all the music filling the air, my lungs, my head, my legs, my heart and soul. while I may not go camping for a while, I will certainly have the beauty of non-stop music and burgeoning memories for a long time to come. I hope you enjoyed a backstage glimpse of GrassRoots! ’till next year! xo

Additional photos thanks to Meredith Towsand

It was another fun-filled night at Bluesfest and it was the night after KISS.
Still people are talking about what a show it was.
While there were some people mentioning the craziness at the K’Naan show too.

There was still excitement on Day 9 of Bluesfest.
The acts that I didn’t see were Styx, LIVE, Busta Rhymes and Alan Parsons.

The show started off at Rogers Stage with the Edmonton band, Shout Out Out Out Out.
This was my second time seeing them and they put on such a fun show.
There were some people getting into their music which was nice to see.
I did get to say hi to Will and Gravy.

Ran over to the Blacksheep Stage and checked out Ottawa band Politique.
It was a great set and nice to see alot of people showing support for Ottawa talent.
Great fun hearing tracks like Beat The Retreat.
Played some new tracks.
Mallory of the band looked really pretty on stage.

Then ran over to the Bank Of America stage and tried to photograph Busta Rhymes.
Apparently when I got there I heard from another photographer that Busta hasn’t shown up in Ottawa.
He was coming straight from Montreal.
Heard from the media guy that he won’t be in Ottawa for 7:45pm.

Later I found out that his set only lasted for 25 minutes. How crazy was that?

I missed out LIVE playing, would have been nice hearing Lighting Crashes live.

So I gave up photographing him and just went back to the Blacksheep stage and just wait abit for M83 to start.
M83 is a electronica band from France and it was their first time to play in Ottawa.
I am glad with a festival like Bluesfest, that bands like them can come to Ottawa.
I shot for the first two songs
Then I decided to hang at the sidestage and I was surprised with their tour manager.
She was very nice to give me the setlist since I was writing down stuff about their set.
Here is what they played.
We Own The Sky
Teen Angst
Kim & Jessie
Sitting
Skin
Don’t Save Us
Guitar
Couleurs

My favorites were We Own The Sky, Sitting (very new wave and dancey), Skin (Dreamy epic), Don’t Save Us (Electro-Dance number), Guitar (Instrumental electro-rock dance) and Couleurs (Euro-dance number)
Afterwards, I helped a volunteer who is a big fan of them get their autograph and photo.
They are nice people and I hope they come back to Ottawa.

Went to the Hard Rock Cafe Stage, playing was Les Claypool.
A member of Primus if they are still together?
It was a freaky show, since most of the members wore mask.
The lighting was too low so I was there for about a song.

Finally went back to the Blacksheep Stage and I was excited to see Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.
Really surprised with the turnout which went all the way up to the hill.
Not like the K’Naan show, there was a variety of age group and races that were in attendances.
Started off with the members of the Dap-Kings playing.

About four minutes of them playing when Sharon Jones appear and it was crazy.
I am blown away by her singing and talent.
She just had that stage presence.
Loving that funk, soul and that bit of Motown feel.
Sang some of her old stuff plus some new tracks from the upcoming album.
After the second song, I just went to the side stage and just danced away.
Wow she has that funky-soul vibe.
Sharon in four different songs, bought up people on stage when she sang and danced to them.
She sure knows how to party on.
Amazing wonderful fun set.
I’d go see her again when or if she comes back.

Afterwards I got to talk to her for abit and she was so nice and lovely.
I told her that I had stage freight and didn’t want to go on stage with her.
She was funny and knew I didn’t want to go becuase of the look I made.
I already had my share of going up on stage.
Recommended me to get the album Dap Dippin’
And told me that four songs she sang were new.
Did a dedication for Michael Jackson which was heartfelt.
Love she did abit of a medley of his songs which was mostly from the Jackson 5 era and did abit of the Moonwalk.
Now I can’t wait for the new album.
Then she gave me a goodbye kiss. What a nice classy lady.

Anyways that was my night of Bluesfest.

I’m on the grind until this evening, but won’t let that stop me from giving you a quality tune to help you on this rainy (holy shit, yes, it is raining…in July…) Saturday afternoon.  I was watching the new USA show “Royal Pains” a couple of days ago, and it featured a jam from a band that I’ve been repping to friends for the last year or so.  It’s always good to see good music (ie. tunes I buy and/or download) getting its due through TV and movie promotions.  I really enjoy this throwback to classic soul in the style of Aretha, Ann Peebles etc.  I got hyped to this group by one of the employees at the Amoeba Records in Berkeley last Spring, and their album 100 Days, 100 Nights was one of my favorites of 2007.  Today’s jam: Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings – Let Them Knock.  Enjoy…

Top 20 Albums of June 2009

1. Bob Marley and the Wailers – B Is For Bob [Tuff Gong/Def Jam/Island Records 2009]
2. Various Artists – Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation) [The Red Hot Organization/4AD 2009]
3. N.A.S.A. – The Spirit Of Apollo [Anti/Epitaph 2009]
4. Alborosie – Escape From Babylon [Greensleeves 2009]
5. Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King [Bama Rags 2009]
6. The Itals – Let Dem Talk [Ital Records 2009]
7. Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band – Outer South [Merge 2009]
8. DJ JS-1 – No Sellout [Ground Original 2009]
9. The Dub Machinist – Worldwide Dub [Control Tower France 2009]
10. Various Artists - Reggae Gold 2009 [VP Records 2009] 
11. Ini Kamoze – 5150 Rule [Hottis 2009]
12. Amadou & Mariam – Welcome to Mali [Nonesuch 2009]
13. Los Granadian del Espacio Exterior – Donde Ningun Hombre Ha Llegado Jamas [Liquidator Spain 2009]
14. Method Man & Redman – Blackout! 2 [Explicit] [Island/Def Jam 2009]
15. Regina Spektor – Far [Sire 2009]
16. Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies) [Interscope 2009]
17. 311 – Uplifter [RCA/Jive 2009]
18. The Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca[Domino Recording 2009]
19. Natural Black – Guardian Angel [Zion Roots Music 2009]
20. Sonic Youth – The Eternal [Matador 2009]
21. Paul Wall – Fast Life [Explicit] [Asylum/WB 2009] 

“Life is one big road with lots of signs,” Bob sings “So when your riding through the ruts don’t you complicate your mind.” On this album we see why Bob Marley and the Wailers ruled the world of reggae music, especially with roots reggae tracks like “Wake Up And Live – Pt. 1.”  On the new album B Is For Bob executive producer Ziggy Marley reworked some of the Bob Marley classics giving them a kid friendly edge. The album pulsates with positive vibrations. A stripped down acoustic version of “Three Little Birds” leads off the album followed by a classic acoustic version of “Redemption Song.” These two songs make for fun summer road trip  sing-a-longs. I found the version of “Satisfy My Soul” to be very sensual and in my opinion this song could be one of the best lovers’ rock tracks ever cut. A bongo almost-dancehall infused “Jamming” and new takes on “Small Axe,” “Bend Down Low” and “Stir It Up” fill out this nice addition to the Bob Marley discography. “Could You Be Loved” and “One Love / People Get Ready” also fit perfect with the kid album theme. “High Tide Or Low Tide” excellently caps off the work.

Finding their way to the top of the Jam-Tex music charts this June are a cadre of Indie-rockers and rappers. The benefit album and compilation Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation) and the N.A.S.A. hip-hop project The Spirit Of Apollo. Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation) includes indie rockers collaborating to make wonderful music and really this album needs to be listened to in its entirety for the best effect. The Dirty Projectors team up with David Byrne on “Knotty Pine,” while Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings provide some soulful “Inspiration Information.” The Decemberists perform “Sleepless,” while Feist and Ben Gibbard team up on “Train Song.” Iron & Wine, Andrew Bird, My Morning Jacket, and Arcade Fire all appear on the album.

On N.A.S.A.’s The Spirit Of Apollo George Clinton and Chali 2na Fish rock “There’s A Party (Feat. George Clinton & Chali 2na)” and dancheall wonder Sizzla joins Lovefoxxx, and the nasty female rapper Amanda Blank on the track “A Volta (Feat. Sizzla, Amanda Blank & Lovefoxxx).” My favorite duo on any of these indie compilations appears on the N.A.S.A. album when Tom Waits and Kool Keith collaborate on “Spacious Thoughts (Feat. Tom Waits & Kool Keith)”. M.I.A., Santogold, Nick Zinner, and Spank Rock drive the electro-rap jam “Whachadoin? (Feat. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santogold & Nick Zinner)“. The N.A.S.A. album certainly contains the most interesting lineup of artists, including David Byrne, Gift of Gab, Chuck D, DJ Z-Trip, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, KRS-One, Seu Jorge, Ras Congo, and Scarface on tracks like  ”Money (Feat. David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge & Z-Trip),” “The People Tree (Feat. David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift Of Gab & Z-Trip),” “Hip Hop (Feat. KRS-One, Fatlip & Slim Kid Tre),” “Strange Enough (Feat. Karen O, Ol’ Dirty Bastard & Fatlip),” and “The Mayor (Feat. The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, Scarface & DJ AM).”

Alborosie, Ini Kamoze, the Itals, and Reggae Gold 2009 provide this year’s sweltering summer reggae soundtrack. On the new Dave Matthews Band album Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King the track “Funny The Way It Is“ proves the band is still putting out quality music. DJ JS-1 gathers some talented indie rappers on No Sellout, for example, Aesop Rock and C Ray Wallz rock the mics on “Karma Killerz.” 

If only there was a line up like this.  It was only natural that one the of funkiest, phattest line ups of all time deserved the creation of a display type of equal fatness.

Produced May 2007 by Cameron Pretsel.

Glenn Murray, NBC Chicago Street Team

While I sit here in Orlando (ready to go cheer for the Lakers to beat the Magic) my mind is actually on the busy weekend coming up in Chicago. So here are a few of my prime choices ranging from cultural, to culinary and even comical, for this coming weekend.

Friday, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli visits Allstate Arena to date, the international star has recorded over twenty pop and classical albums as well as seven complete operas. He has sold over 65 million albums worldwide. Tickets are still available at all Ticketmaster Outlets

Saturday, Studabaker Classic Cookieswill hold its official launch party. The event is free and open to the public The Launch event will be held at Kitchen Chicago located at 324 N. Leavitt from 7 to 10pm , enjoy lots of samples of their all natural cookies as well as an opportunity for more information. To find our more visit www.classiccookies.net

Also Saturday Night, visit Second City and catch “Rod Blagojevich Superstar,” Second City’s musical parody of the former Governor’s rise and fall. The improv company announced the real Gov will show up during the show to help announce the extension of the satirical spoof through Aug. 9. Blagojevich will also take part in the improv set that follows the show.
Tickets: www.secondcity.com

If you’re not too tired on Sunday, visit the Chicago Blues Fest and catch the finale at the Petrillo Music Shell featuring Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

That should fill up your dance card for this wonderful June weekend. I Can’t wait, I’ll be rooting my heart our at the Amway Arena tonight, but I’ll be on the first plane back to Chicago Friday morning…

See you this weekend.

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

- June 9. (Tues.) Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra. The sixth annual KKJZ-sponsored Wine, Jazz & Moonlight Series at Hollywood & Highland features a performance by saxophonist Kim Richmond’s 23-piece Concert Jazz Orchestra. From 7 – 9 p.m. in the Central Courtyard. Free admission. A donation of $10 to Project Angelfood will get you two classes of wine and a box of cheese and crackers. Wine, Jazz & Moonlight. (323) 467-6412.

- June 9. (Tues.) The John Altman Quartet. Altman’s resume reaches from composing and arranging for films (“Titanic”), television (“Peak Practice”), thousands of commercials and writing the now famous arrangement for Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” to leading a big jazz band, as well as session work and gigs with the likes of Jimi Hendrix Phil Collins, Sting and Fleetwood Mac. Amazingly, he also manages to keep up his chops as a first rate jazz alto saxophonist. Charlie O’s. (818) 994-3058.

- June 10. (Wed.) Elaine Miles’ velvet-dark sound and exquisite way with a song aren’t nearly as well known as they should be. Here’s an opportunity to experience the gifted, Connecticut-born singer’s compelling take on standards, both old and new. Steamers. (714) 871-8800

- June 10 (Wed.) Ron Stout Quartet. A third generation musician and a professional since he was 15, Stout’s first call skills combins imaginative soloing with superb craftsmanship as a section player. Here’s a chance to hear him stretch out on his own. Sangria. (310) 990-0323.

Brian Blade

- June 10 – 13. (Wed. – Sat.) Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band. Blade has been at the top of everyone’s list of musically sensitive drummers – and performing superbly as a regular member of Wayne Shorter’s quartet. But he’s also reserved some imaginative creativity for his own Fellowship Band and, most recently, for his debut as a singer/songwriter on his new CD, “”Mama Rosa.” Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210.

- June 11. (Thurs.) Playboy Jazz on Film. Every year, jazz film historian Mark Cantor assembles a fascinating array of clips displaying jazz artists in action. The program is the final event in the free jazz programs leading up to this weekend’s Playboy Jazz Festival. Expect to see clips of Freddie Hubbard, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Louis Bellson, Fats Waller, Lennie Tristano and others. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

- June 11. (Thurs.) Dale Fielder Quartet. The versatile Fielder handles four saxophones with ease, from soprano down to baritone. And he does so with the rare ability to play in a style that is characteristic to each of the instruments. Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400

- June 11 (Thurs.) Denise Donatelli applies her captivating vocal style to selections from her latest CD, “What Lies Within,” backed by an all-star band – guitarist Larry Koonse, pianist Bill Cunliffe, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, bassist Hamilton Price and drummer Mark Ferber. Upstairs at Vitello’s. (818) 769-0905.

- June 11, 12, 13 and 19. (Thurs., Fri. Sat. and Fri.) Boston-based jazz singer Amanda Carr makes a string of Southland stops. Crowne Plaza Hotel, Thurs. (310) 642-7500; Spaghettini in Seal Beach, (562) 596-2199, Fri.; Café Metropol, Sat. (213) 613-1537

- June 11 – 21. (Thurs.,… ) La Didone. Cavalli’s 1641 Baroque opera from 1641 is performed by the Wooster group in a radical production that blends in electric guitar, elements from Mario Bava’s 1965 Sci-FI Cult film, Planet of the Vampires. REDCAT (213) 237-2800.

- June 12. (Fri.) James Newton The virtuosic jazz flutist, composer and educator makes a rare appearance. The World Stage. (323) 293-2451.

- June 12 (Fri.) “When Love Happens: The Loving Day Concert.” Singer Sandra Booker, pianist Tamir Hendleman and the Elevation Strings in a performance “celebrating the legalization of interracial marriage, couples and families in America.” The Madrid Theatre. (818) 347-9419.

Highlight: The Playboy Jazz Festival

-June 13 & 14 (Sat. & Sun.) It’s that time of year. The annual two day, non-stop, let’s-have-a-ball jazz party featuring a pair of gold anniversary celebrations. First: the 50th anniversary of the first Playboy JazzFestival in Chicago, in 1959. Next: the 50th anniversary of the release of Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue,” the best selling jazz album of all time – with Jimmy Cobb (the sole surviving member of the original “Kind of Blue” ensemble) leading his So What Band in a celebration of the music from that classic recording. Saturday’s festivities include (in addition to Cobb’s group) the Neville Brothers, the Jon Faddis Quartet, the Jack Sheldon Orchestra, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, the Pete Escovedo Orchestra, Esperanza Spalding, the New Birth Brass Band, Summer Storm, the Cos of Good Music and the L.A. County High School for the Arts Jazz Ensemble. Sunday’s line-up includes the Wayne Shorter Quartet, Kenny G, Patti Austin, King Sunny Ade, the Dave Holland Big Band, Monty Alexander’s Jazz & Roots, Oscar Hernandez and the Conga Room All-Stars, the Anat Cohen Quartet, Alfredo Rodriguez and the North Hollywood High School Jazz Ensemble. Bill Cosby is in his usual role as Master of Ceremonies and the conductor (and organizer) of the Cos of Good music group. The Playboy Jazz Festival. The Hollywood Bowl. (310) 450-1173.

San Francisco

- June 8 – 10. Charlie Haden, Bobby Hutcherson and George Cables. The first ever meeting of a group of veteran all-stars who describe their trio as “The Three Friends.” (Yoshi’s has a special deal for this and other Charlie Haden shows. Buy one ticket and get a voucher for a future Yoshi’s San Francisco show — at equal or lesser value.) For information, click here: Yoshi’s San Francisco. (415) 655-5600.

- June 9 – 27. (Tues. – ) “Porgy and Bess.” Eric Owens and Laquita Mitchell star in Francesca Zambello’s highly praised Washington National Opera version of the classic Gershwin work. The San Francisco Opera version will include an expanded chorus and orchestra and an expanded scenic setting. The War Memorial Opera House. San Francisco. (415) 864-3330.

- June 10 – 12. “Kind of Blue at 50” Jimmy Cobb’s So What Band. Recalling the pleasures of “Kind of Blue,” the best selling jazz record of all time. With Wallace Roney, Javon Jackson, Vincent Herring, Larry Willis, Buster Williams. Yoshi’s Oakland. (510) 238-9200.

Lee Konitz

- June 12 – 14. (Fri. – Sun.) Charlie Haden, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Lee Konitz. A rare combination of seemingly disparate elements – in an exclusive set of performances that someone will hopefully have the good sense to record. (This also is another of the special deals for Charlie Haden shows. Buy one ticket and get a voucher for a future Yoshi’s San Francisco show — at equal or lesser value.) For information, click here: Yoshi’s San Francisco (415) 655-5400.

- June 13 & 14. (Sat. & Sun.) Christian McBride and Inside Straight. Bassist McBride’s new group – featured on the just-released album “Kind of Brown,” brings him back into the acoustic contemporary mainstream, after various flirtations with funk and groove. But McBride, as any musician who’s worked with him will tell you, can play anything with authenticity and imagination. Yoshi’s Oakland. (510) 2389200.

Santa Rosa

- June 12 – 14. (Fri. – Sun.) The Harmony Festival. Thirty-one years after founder Debra Giusti started it all at Sonoma State University, the Harmony Festival continues to the pleasures of a music festival with the values of “new ideas, community activism, environmental awareness, spiritual wisdom and holistic products.” The far reaching programs of music and seminars include Michael Franti & Spearhead, India.Arie, Matisyahu, The Refugee All Stars, Balkan Beat Box, The Spirit of Miles Davis (feat. Airto, Mike Stern, Eddie Henderson, Azar Lawrence, etc.), Kitaro, Julia Butterfly Hill, Starhawk, and many others. The Harmony Festival. Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa.

Tennessee

- June 11 – 14. (Thurs. Sun.) Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. A four-day, camp-out, multi-stage, 100 acre, Tennessee version of Woodstock. The stellar line-up of acts includes Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrn, Al Green, Snoop Dog, Elvis Costello, Erykah Badu, Merle Haggard, Ani DiFranco, Bela Fleck, Femi Kuti and dozens of others. Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Manchester, Tennessee.

New York City

- June 8. (Mon.) Guitarist Andreas Oberg still doesn’t have very high visibility. But if there’s any justice in the jazz world, the spotlight should be brightening soon. He performs with pianist Donald Vega, bassist James Genus and drummer Billy Kilson. The Blue Note.(212) 475-8592.

Lisa Sokolov

- June 9 – 14. (Tues. – Sun.) The Vision Festival. As it opens its 14th year, the Vision Festival is now New York City’s only summer jazz festival. The six day event, with its strong orientation toward cutting edge music, features performances by, among others, Marshall Allen and the Sun Ra Arkestra, Peter Brotzmann’s Full Blast, Roy Campbell’s Ayler project, the Milford Graves Quartet, Joe McPhee’s Trio X, the Lisa Sokolov Trio, Jason Kao Hwang’s Spontaneous River (a 25 piece string ensemble) and Lawrence (Butch) Morris’ performance of Conductions No. 187: Erotic Eulogy with a chorus of poets and a string ensemble. The Abrons Art Center @ the Henry St. Settlement. (212) 766-9200.

Highlight June 12 (Fri.) The Russians Are Coming

Cyril Moshkow, Russia’s best-known jazz journalist contacted me recently to let me know about a performance in Brooklyn by an especially interesting Russian jazz group, The Second Approach. Rather than say something about the band myself, I asked Cyril – who knows the players personally — to make a few comments, and he was kind enough to send some information about the band. Here are his thoughts:

The Russians Are Coming: The Second Approach in Brooklyn
By Cyril Moshkow

A great new jazz trio from Moscow, The Second Approach, is going to perform at Brooklyn’s Ibeam Studio on June 12. Yes, they are friends of mine, but that’s not the point. The point is that they are great musicians — not exactly straight-ahead jazz, but still thoroughly enjoyable, and their only NYC performance is not to be missed (they also play at the Rochester Jazz Festival on June 15 and 16.) Russia has a new jazz scene, however small it may be, with musicians who do not imitate anybody; they follow their own patterns. For that reason, it’s quite difficult to put the Second Approach on a narrow genre shelf. What they play includes jazz, modern classical, and post-modern ethno/jazz crossover at the same time, rooted in native Russian music rather than in anything else. For a few tunes the trio (Andrey Razin, the piano player and composer; Tatiana Komova, the singer; and Igor Ivanushkin, the bass player) will be joined by the great American trombonist Roswell Rudd, who is also featured on the Second Approach’s new CD, “The Light” (SoLyd Records, 2009). If you can come and see them, please do. It’ll be worth it. And if you can help spread a word about it, please do that, too. We want as many people as possible to experience and appreciate the musical values of Russian jazz and The Second Approach. Ibeam Music Studio.

- June 12 & 13. (Fri. & Sat.) Miles Okazaki’s “Generations.” With Dan Weiss, drums, Jen Shyu, voice, Hans Glawischnig, bass and David Binney, Miguel Zenon and Chrisof Knoche, alto saxophones. The Jazz Gallery. (212) 242-1063

Finally…I have taken to updating more of my Flickr fotos, complete with loads of projects I concoted over the winter months of Bostonian turmoil, longing, depression and the like. I guess all those aforementioned reasons will explain why I got around to basically getting nothing done in terms of pushing all that crafty magic out to you until now.

More importantly, I’ll be releasing patterns for some of the stuff–free and pay for play.

As always, one of my bestest friends in the world, Harry S. Cahill, took most of the photography. Clearly, you see the genius, as do I. He actually has a gifty going his way for all the photo-ing work he’s done for me in the past. Here’s to hoping I can bribe him to do more…

Let me know what you think of any of these projects. As always, I can make something for you made to order if you like. Just shoot me an email. Eventually, I’ll put stuff up in the Etsy shop for purchase if you are so inclined but I need to create some solid inventory first.

The monotony of this uploading work comes courtesy Sharon Jones and her Dap Kings doing “100 Days, 100 Nights”. You’re welcome in advance.

In the interest of keeping things relatively in the present, as I promised, I figured I should give a quick (or perhaps not-so-quick) update of what I’ve been up to in recent weeks…

About a month ago, I hit the road for a week in the South. A certain band I like did a short southern series of shows, of which I caught the ones in Athens, Ga., Asheville, N.C., Birmingham, Ala., Oxford, Miss., and finally New Orleans. I think my favorite venue easily was Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham. It’s an old ironworks turned into a National Historic Landmark where they now hold the occasional concert. I had pretty low expectations for this show, but the memorable setting seemed to energize the band. And when a member of their road crew surprised the band by coming out shirtless to play cowbell on the last song, well, it just seemed to put an exclamation point on the evening.

After the final show of the tour at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, I made my way up to Madison, Wis., via Chicago (haha) to see Flight of the Conchords with Brianne. I had seen both of their shows in New York, but it was nice to be able to focus on some specific aspects of the show since I sort of knew what to expect overall. And any show with “Albi, the Racist Dragon” is a winner for me. Brianne was gracious enough to have me over at her house for a few days and so I stuck around for Robbie Fulks’ 50-Vc. All-Stars show (with Jenny Scheinman and Nora O’Connor, among others) at the end of that week. I also went to Miller Park in Milwaukee for the first time to take in a Brewers game with some friends; visited the New Glarus Brewing Company and had a nice meal in that Swiss-tinged small town; and scored a nice vinyl haul at Strictly Discs, a very cool record store in Madison.

A brief weekend stopover in Chicago followed, where I attended my first Cubs game of the season (a win over the Florida Marlins on an absolutely gorgeous afternoon when the team retired the No. 31 jersey of Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux). That night, I also caught the Old 97’s show at the Cubby Bear. It was one of two shows they did that weekend as the headliners of WXRT’s Cinco de Mayo celebration and I didn’t have very lofty expectations, but they dusted off some old gems such as 504 and W-I-F-E, so it was better than I thought.

Back home, I found out about St. Vincent’s free in-store at the Virgin Megastore Union Square in time to attend and get my pre-ordered copy of her new album Actor signed. It’s hard to believe that by the end of May, there will no longer be a Virgin Megastore in New York. The following night, I made it to three different shows — Tim Easton at Mercury Lounge, John Doe with the Sadies at City Winery and the last hour or so of Martin Rivas and Craig Meyer’s Wednesday Night Campfire at Prohibition. All were pretty stellar. A couple of days later it was off to Washington, D.C., for a couple of days to go to two shows by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings at the 9:30 Club with Heidi. We both love SJ and the DKs, so I had a lot of fun dancing (not onstage, of course) and hanging out with her. But it was a quick trip because I wanted to get back home in time for a rare solo set by Nels Cline at the Stone. Nels says he’s terrified of playing by himself, but I thought it was a strong effort even with some of his gear breaking down mid-set. It was Mother’s Day and he closed with “Cymbidium” from his latest record Coward, a piece dedicated to his late mother. It was really touching.

Shortly thereafter, I headed to Los Angeles for about five days. I hadn’t planned all that far in advance on making this trip, but things seemed to align on the Largo at the Coronet calendar with some shows I had wanted to check out. And thanks to the graciousness of Andrew and Evonne, who lent their couches, I was able to swing it. So I got to see Theresa Andersson, a New Orleans-by-way-of-Sweden singer-songwriter whose most recent album Hummingbird, Go! was a favorite recent discovery; Sara Watkins, whose new self-titled record is really solid; and, of course, Jon Brion. I’m really glad I got to see all three shows. Seeing Andersson live is quite fascinating because of all the looping she does to construct her songs. Watkins’ return to Largo for the first time since her record came out was, of course, a special occasion and she had a terrific band for this gig that included Benmont Tench and her brother, Sean, as well as Sebastian Steinberg and Greg Leisz. And Brion is trying some different things out lately, using some multimedia elements with film loops playing behind him on a screen while he puts music to them, for instance, and focusing on playing strictly by himself without his usual cadre of special guests.

Another reason why I decided to make this LA trip was an opportunity to catch a show by Scarnella (Nels Cline and Carla Bozulich) and Pronto (Mikael Jorgensen’s side project). They played at the Mint, a small throwback of a club in Hollywood. The Scarnella set instead became a Stained Radiance gig, as it turned out, because Carla couldn’t make it that night. Stained Radiance is a duo Nels plays in with the painter Norton Wisdom, who paints on a big, illuminated screen while Nels adds his unique brand of improvised sound. Pronto, which I had seen a few times back on the East Coast, continues to become more cohesive as a working band each time I see them. So it was a good night, all in all. During my stay I also got to see a free in-store by Steve Earle at Amoeba Records, where he was promoting his latest release, Townes. My only regret was not being able to stay in town longer to see a few of the other shows I wanted to, including a performance by Scarnella — playing along to the Lon Chaney silent film “Laugh Clown Laugh” — with an opening set by Bobb Bruno.

But I couldn’t stay because I had a (really expensive) ticket to see Leonard Cohen at Radio City Music Hall the following night. I could write a lengthy post just about that show, but suffice it to say, I’m glad I saw him at least once. He is a charismatic, elegant performer and even though I wasn’t tremendously familiar with his repertoire beyond the big “hits,” I found myself captivated for much of the show. He played for close to three hours and although I think the show was stretched out a bit more than it needed to be with some questionable arrangements — some lengthy horn solos were reminiscent of bad smooth jazz at times — how many times to you get to see a legend?

And finally, on one of my last nights in town before leaving for Europe, I got a chance to see two terrific shows: a semi-secret gig by Bill Frisell and his 858 Quartet at the tiny Barbes in Brooklyn and an all-original show by the Martin Rivas Band (hilariously dubbed, for this performance, anyway, The Crunchy Fudge-Nut Ice Cream Bar Boys) at the Bitter End. From what I understand, the 858 Quartet — a string quartet with Frisell on electric guitar in place of one of the violins in a traditional string quartet — hadn’t played together in quite awhile and I was grateful to have heard about this intimate performance from an inside source. And seeing one of Martin’s shows where he plays his own songs is always a great time. I think the songs on his forthcoming Sea of Clouds record sound better each time I hear them. It was a fitting way to close out a very busy few weeks.

Finally, the moment hipsters and hipsteriographers alike have been waiting for all year: the unlikely return of the emancipated sound-slave himself, Chris Cornell! In lesser news, Animal Collective plays Letterman. It’s a good week for the Pitchfork cabal all around, with Ohio players, The National, on Fallon Wednesday, and scot-rockers Franz Ferdinand on Letterman Tuesday. But my bet is that soulstress Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings steal the show, this week; you know ?uestlove is gonna get involved.

Monday: Keri Hilson brings her sexy haircut, along with Kanye West, to Letterman; Adele does Fallon.
Tuesday: Franz Ferdinand do Letterman; Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings do their best to expunge Amy Winehouse from our collective unconscious on Jimmy Fallon.
Wednesday: Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 do Letterman; some Irish dude named Van Morrison does Leno; and The National play out Fallon.
Thursday: The Animal Collective do their thing on Letterman; Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 try again on Fallon.
Friday: finally, ex-Soundgarden, ex-Audioslave frontman, Chris Cornell, plays Letterman.

I’ve decided to forgo my usual chronological scrupulousness. Last night was the Dark Was The Night charity concert bonanza, and, due to extraordinary pressure from certain acquaintances of mine, I shall do some writing on the subject. Some writing off the subject may also appear in this post; I will not attempt to deny my propensity to digress.

All right, let me just get this out of the way. My two companions — fear not, gentle reader, the Good King was one of them — and I were in row GG of the orchestra, which was fantastic in and of itself, but made even more so by virtue of who was sitting near us — none other than Kyp Malone, the eminently bearded vocalist/guitarist of TV on the Radio. My seat was on the aisle, and he was one seat in, directly across said aisle. The story becomes more magical in the second half of the evening, when David Byrne stopped by old row GG to catch the end of the show. At one point he was standing literally right next to me, and I stopped breathing for a while.

Anyway.

I was not expecting Dirty Projectors to open this show by themselves, with a song that’s not even the single off an album that has not yet been released. But they did! So that was pretty exciting. The song was Useful Chamber, and it’s actually pretty great. The next song, Stillness Is The Move, is also off the new record (Bitte Orca), and also quite a good song, but did not sound quite as good as Useful Chamber. On Stillness, Amber Coffman’s voice can turn into a bit of a mewl. I’m not saying she can’t sing, just that, live, she can get a bit grating. I don’t know if it was the venue, but she definitely sounds better on record. She still sounds like the same singer, but I guess their producer has a knack for making her vocal idiosyncrasies fit well into the rest of the song. At Radio City, the mewling stood out a bit. This was only a few moments, though, and, on the whole, I enjoyed the performance. Ms Coffman got her dance on a bit, and some of her more spot-on vocals sounded a bit like Mariah Carey, so that was exciting.

Whoa, am I going to talk about every song? That seems excessive. We’ll see how this goes.

David Byrne came out for the next song, Ambulance Man, which was apparently recorded for the Dark Was The Night album but didn’t make the cut, ceding to the Byrne/Projectors collaboration Knotty Pine, which finished the DPs set last night. I like Knotty Pine better, but maybe that’s only because I’ve heard it a lot more. All in all, I’m not sure Dirty Projectors are exactly ready for such a big place but I enjoyed their set since I was in the seventh row.

After Dirty Projectors, Red Hot head guy John Carlin came onstage to discuss briefly the evening’s format. He learned me a little something about the history of Red Hot. Aight, Carlin. Word.

My Brightest Diamond (Shara Worden) was next, with her cover of Feeling Good, made famous by Nina Simone. Ms Worden absolutely handled the song, and the backing band — which included members of the National along with a violinist, bass clarinetist, maybe a couple of horns, who knows what else — performed admirably as well. Unfortunately, Ms Worden did not play any more of her songs. A little disappointing, that.

The National were next, with singer Matt Berninger joining the members who were already onstage playing with Ms Worden. Since Bryce and Aaron Dessner were big parts of putting together the album and the show, I was hoping that the National would play a bit longer than the standard three or four songs. Alas, it was not to be. They started with Boxer cut Slow Show, then played what I think was a new song, called England. Next was DWTN standout So Far Around The Bend, followed by another new song, called something like Vanderlyle Crybaby. Justin Vernon ripped a sweet guitar solo on that one, boy oh boy. Let ‘em know, Vernon. That actually may have been the highlight of their set for me. The National were perhaps the band I was most looking forward to seeing, since I had never before seen them live, but they disappointed me — not the band so much as Matt Berninger, the singer. I had read that his stage presence was less than engaging, but I didn’t think too much of that criticism, since much of the National’s music (especially on Boxer) is melancholy and even-tempered. However, I did expect his voice to sound at least as rich and mellifluous live as it does on record. It does, sort of, but he doesn’t seem to have great control over it. The timbre is the same, but he’s not precisely in tune on a lot of the notes. It may just be because I’ve heard him hit each note perfectly on the albums so much. The vocals were a bit low in the mix, too.

A sharply besuited Dave Sitek was next, singing the Troggs’s With A Girl Like You over the fuzzed out guitar and horns and a veritable choir behind him. I like the song, but Mr Sitek is not really a frontman, and it was also once again a bit wack that there was a set change into a one-song set, and then another set change. Not ideal for the pacing of the show. Good thing our noble hero, David Byrne, came on next.

I knew he wasn’t going to do any Talking Heads songs, since Mr Carlin had told us as much earlier in the evening. I was resigned to this fact, and looked forward to hearing the songs Mr Byrne had done for previous Red Hot efforts. And they were swell! His cover of Cole Porter’s Don’t Fence Me In was enlivened by a drumline of sorts (come on, Firefox, how can you not recognize ‘drumline‘ as a word? And how do IMDB users have that at just a 5.2? Travesty). He finished with a couple other of his old Red Hot tunes, which Mr Carlin said he had never before performed live. Justin Vernon came out to fill Caetano Veloso’s shoes on Dreamworld: Marco De Canavezes and Leslie Feist dueted with Mr Byrne on Waters Of March. Lovely, lovely, indeed.

Intermission followed. I stretched. I watered the plants. I prepared the feast.

Bon Iver opened the second part of the show with Brackett, WI, off the first disc of the compilation. Their next was Blood Bank, from the EP of the same name. The National then came out to join in on Big Red Machine (credited as Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner on the album), with Mr Berninger and Mr Vernon sharing vocal duties. While these three songs were great, the next was absolutely phenomenal, and, to me, the high point of the evening. Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) came out to sing a verse on Flume, complementing Mr Vernon’s vocals beautifully. I didn’t realize it last night, but thinking back on it now, Flume is the only song of the night (besides Feeling Good, which I also loved) that I’ve been listening to for longer than three months. So after a year and a half of listening to it, seeing Flume in such a fantastic setting at such a fantastic event with such fantastic performers on stage really gave it new meaning and power.

Feist had the unenviable task of following that spectacle, and she boldly took the stage alone, with just an acoustic guitar. And, keeping with the evening’s trend of artists avoiding their more famous songs, she didn’t play 1-2-3-4! She didn’t play any of her own songs, actually, opening with the traditional The Wagoner’s Lad, which fit well with the short film that had segued the evening into her set, which featured women musicians discussing what it means to be a female in band. Next was the enjoyable Look What The Light Did Now, originally by the Bay Area’s Little Wings. Ben Gibbard did not show up to perform his part on Train Song, so Justin Vernon came on and filled in admirably. While I’ve not listened to much Death Cab lately, I actually rather enjoy Mr Gibbard’s contribution to the track, and I wondered how Mr Vernon would handle his role. He sounded fantastic, his distinctly low voice (no falsetto, here) offering a take on the song compellingly different from Mr Gibbard’s. Feist had also called the rest of Bon Iver to the stage with her, and they provided (you guessed it) some lovely harmonies. For her next and final song she strapped on an electric guitar for a cover of Someday Baby, off of Bob Dylan’s Modern Times. I’m not sure how I feel about her playing by herself for three out of four songs. I didn’t mind too much, since I was close enough that it didn’t matter to much to me, but I can’t imagine that it could have been great to be in the third mezzanine, watching a small woman on stage singing alone. There was also the issue with the copious reverb on her voice. It sounded lovely for held notes, but faster passages were bogged down a bit by the fog, especially on Look What The Light Did Now; it was difficult to distinguish lyrics. She does have a fantastic voice, though, and I’ll admit that the reverb often made it sound even better. I am rather a fan of reverb.

At this point, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings took over and funked everything up real crazy-like. Sharon Jones is a fantastic performer, and a great singer, too. I thought her breath control was as impressive as her James Brown impression. The lady can move, though, and that’s what sets her apart from other good singers who can’t win over an audience like she can. Even though there’s pretty much nothing original about their funk/soul revivalism, I wouldn’t exactly call that a problem. I never got a chance to see James Brown, so if this is the closest I’m going to get, I’ll take it.

For the finale, almost everyone came out with some acoustic guitars and one of the Dessner brothers announced that the last song was dedicated to Pete Seeger, who happened to have his own benefit going on simultaneously over at Madison Square Garden. The song was Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land, and yeah, I sang along. Sure I did. What of it? But wait! Then Sharon Jones came out and said, easy, folkies — we’re gonna get funky funky funky. And, bam! soul version of This Land Is Your Land. In the words of Malkmus, We Dance.

So there it is, there’s the evening for you. Rest easy, gentle reader. I wish you well, and, as is my custom, leave you with a set list.

Dirty Projectors – Useful Chamber
Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move
Dirty Projectors – Ambulance Man (with David Byrne)
Dirty Projectors – Knotty Pine (with David Byrne)
My Brightest Diamond – Feeling Good (with a couple guys from the National) [Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse cover, made famous by Nina Simone]
The National – Slow Show
The National – England
The National – So Far Around The Bend
The National – Vanderlyle (?) Crybaby (with Justin Vernon)
Dave Sitek – With A Girl Like You (with like a million people)
David Byrne – Don’t Fence Me In [Cole Porter cover]
David Byrne – Dreamworld: Marco de Canavezes (with Justin Vernon)
David Byrne – Waters Of March (with Leslie Feist)

Intermission

Bon Iver – Brackett, WI
Bon Iver – Blood Bank
Bon Iver – Big Red Machine (with Matt Berninger and the National)
Bon Iver – Flume (with My Brightest Diamond)
Feist – The Wagoner’s Lad [Traditional]
Feist – Look What The Light Did Now [Little Wings cover]
Feist – Train Song (with Justin Vernon in the Ben Gibbard part and the rest of Bon Iver on harmonies) [Alasdair Clayre cover, made famous (well, not famous, exactly...) by Vashti Bunyan]
Feist – Someday Baby [Bob Dylan cover]
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – Not Gonna Cry
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – When I Come Home
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – Inspiration Information
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights

Encore

Almost Everyone – This Land Is Your Land [Woody Guthrie cover (obvs!)]
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – This Land Is Your Land (funky version)

David Byrne and Dirty Projectors

To have a whole bunch of your favorite performers assembled under one roof to just play for you for three hours isn’t a bad way to spend a rainy Sunday evening, especially when, two hours before the show, you did not even have a ticket and just planned on a night of watching TV. So, yeah, I can say that it turned out to be a pretty nice change in plans.

The Radio City Music Hall event featured a bunch of artists who recorded songs for the Dark Was The Night 2-disc compilation CD benefiting the Red Hot Organization, a global HIV/AIDS awareness group. Brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner played a large part in producing the album, which was released in February, and I imagine they played a big role in assembling the evening’s lineup, which included David Byrne, Bon Iver, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Dirty Projectors, Dave Sitek, Feist, The National, and My Brightest Diamond.

Dirty Projectors kicked off the show, and the highlight of their 4-song set was when David Byrne joined them for “Knotty Pine,” a song recorded for the album. This collaborative effort set the tone for the night, in which many of the performances included some combination of the musicians listed above. For example:

Feist + Bon Iver = “Train Song”
Bon Iver + Matt Berninger (The National) = “Big Red Machine”
David Byrne + Feist = “Waters Of March”
My Brightest Diamond + The National = “Feeling Good”

In addition to performing during The National’s 4-song set (Slow Show, England, So Far Around The Bend, Crybaby??), the Brothers Dessner were on the stage a lot, offering their guitar work to a bunch of songs.

In a night of too many artists I worried that I’d be sad when a band left the stage after playing just three or four songs. The only time that happened was after My Brightest Diamond sang “Feeling Good,” the song made famous by Nina Simone. First off, it seemed that almost immediately after she opened her mouth, many in the audience were thinking “Who is this woman and why don’t I know her?” After wowing the crowd and giving me chills, lead singer Shara Worden left the stage and I said out loud “That was it?” Luckily she came back to lend her voice to The National’s new song (called something like “Crybaby”) and Bon Iver’s “Flume.”

I have to say that Bon Iver was the highlight of the show. OK, maybe I am a little biased having enjoyed their performances many times in the past, but I think many in the crowd would agree. After opening with “Brackett, WI” off of Dark Was The Night, the band went on to play “Blood Bank” and “Big Red Machine” (also off of the compilation). I don’t think I have seen Justin Vernon really rock out onstage, mainly because he always seems to be seated while performing. But he went all out on “Blood Bank.” Then he took a seat for “Flume” during which he was joined by members of The National and My Brightest Diamond.

The number of performers onstage for any given song varied throughout the night. During Dave Sitek’s “With A Girl Like You” I counted 22 people onstage. But that scene drastically changed when Feist took to the stage. Appearing solo, with merely a guitar, Feist’s voice had no problem filling the enormous Radio City Music Hall. I definitely walked away from the show hoping to get a chance to see her perform again soon. Another performance of note was David Byrne’s drum section (think STOMP with drums, not trash cans), which was fun to watch.

To end the night, Sharon Jones brought her moves and The Dap Kings for an energetic set which included familiar songs like “When I Come Home” and “100 Days, 100 Nights.” The show ran a little over three hours, with one intermission. Between sets, the stage crew made quick adjustments to the equipment setup on a darkened stage while short Red Hot Organization videos played on the two jumbo screens. There were no last minute surprise guests, which actually was ok because the show was pretty jam-packed as it was.

Since it was a charity event, I sat there thinking it was a perfect moment for a “We Are the World” type of group sing-along. What actually happened was the entire group of performers ended the evening with a traditional rendition of “This Land is Your Land,” only to be quickly one-upped by Sharon Jones’ funkified version, which sent viewers on their way.

The whole concert is set to be streamed on NPR in the next week or so. And you can find the full track list for Dark Was the Night here.

So this is a pretty last minute post (my weekend consisted of going from NYC to NJ to Philly for band practice, back to NJ to visit my nephew, back to NYC for way too much dancing last night, and now finally Brooklyn again- I didn’t have a spare minute to post until now), but I couldn’t not make today’s recommended show the Dark Was the Night concert at Radio City Music Hall.  People have been calling this AIDS charity compilation a “moment in music history” and I wouldn’t miss being at this show for the world.  Not only do you get Bon Iver, David Byrne, Dirty Projectors, Feist, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and Dave Sitek, but all of the proceeds go to charity.  Plus, Grizzly Bear is around right now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they show up.  Tickets are still available.  

UPDATE: Just got back from the show.  There was no Grizzly Bear, but it was a wonderful night of music.  It started off with Dirty Projectors and David Byrne playing together, and it only got better from there.  Radio City is so impressive and the sound is so crisp.  That’s probably the only opportunity I’ll have to hear many of those bands somewhere so beautiful.  My Brightest Diamond was gorgeous.  The National were great as always.  Bon Iver was hauntingly beautiful, even in such a large venue.  I felt so lucky to hear him collab both with the National and Feist, who played a few songs with just her and the guitar.  He presence is incredible.  David Byrne was absolutely fantastic, playful and fun, and such a confident, cool performer.  And of course, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings ended the evening with their high-energy and show-stopping funk.  Everyone came out at the end to sing “This Land Is Your Land” in honor of Seeger, until Sharon Jones came back out and showed everyone how to do the “Dap Kings” version.  Incredible.  Sorry all of my descriptors are “awesome” and “incredible,” but I’m so overwhelmed by how good it all was that that’s all I can really muster for now.  Truly, a show for the history books.

MP3: “So Far Around the Bend” – The National